Transportation
Boats It's unknown exactly when the smallest boats were first developed for use in First River, originally by fishers. At some point, these boats also began to be used for racing, for fun. In LY 140, larger boats were used in the construction of First River Bridge. They would later be used on Drop River, and Later still off the coast of Sorret. It wasn't until Ship was founded in 360 that anything larger than these boats began to be constructed. See also Watercraft classification Striders Prior to LY 150, the only way of getting from place to place on The Land was by walking, though simple carts (for pulling) and wheelbarrows (for pushing) had been developed sometime in the first half century, in time of Connor and Brigid, which were used to transport larger loads than could be carried by hand. It was in 150 that striders were first discovered in River Valley, east of First Village. They were soon domesticated for riding, and within a few years were also being used to pull plows. In 160, wagons were designed to be pulled by one or two striders. These wagons were based on the earlier designs of carts, but were somewhat larger and more complex, though still simple compared to later wagon designs. Tonadian wagons In 222, a larger and sturdier type of wagon, to be drawn by a team of four striders, was developed. It was the first wagon to incorporate a canvas cover into the design. It was these covered wagons that were used by the settlers of the Land's second village, Tonad, in 225, and had in fact been designed specifically to travel farther beyond First Village than anyone had ever gone. Because of this, they were referred to as Tonadian wagons, after the village was founded. Tonadian wagons were integral to the Land's territorial expansion between 225 and 380, at which point the world's twelfth village, Tanq, was founded. It was also around 225 that cattle were discovered, and a new design of harness was made which differed from those used with striders. Oxen (cattle trained as draft animals) became the predominant animal used to draw the new wagons for purposes of exploration or relocation, though striders remain used more commonly for fast travel between villages. Paved roads There were few innovations in transportation technology during the period of over 150 years of that expansion, though travelers had often complained of the bumpy ride. This was alleviated during that time in two ways that did not involve alterations to the wagon's design. One was simply bringing plenty of cushions to sit on in the bed of the wagon. More importantly, stone-paved roads were developed. First used within First Village beginning around 230, construction of a paved road between First Village and Tonad (the Tonadian Way) began in 235. However, at first stones were merely used to fill any potholes that disrupted the relatively even surface of the dirt path that had been cleared by the original explorers who had settled Tonad. The road was not completely paved until 255. The time and expense required were so great that thereafter, no one felt sufficiently motivated to attempt such an immense undertaking to create new roads between villages which were subsequently founded. The one exception was the road between Kurok and Pritt (the First Isle Way), which were founded on First Isle in 361 and 367, respectively. Construction of this road began in 370, and was completed in 374. The main reason the people of First Isle decided to build their own intervillage road was because the distance between Kurok and Pritt is only about two fifths of the distance between First Village and Tonad (roughly 400 miles, compared to roughly 1000). It is, at present, the shortest distance between any two villages on the Land. So, aside from these two paved roads, all other pavement on the Land is essentially limited to the streets within villages, and as with the earliest days of the Tonadian Way, random stones used to fill potholes along the dirt roads between other villages. However, beginning in 913, there has been increasing talk of building roads between various other villages. Ships The village of Ship was founded in 360 (and Shipsister in 370), at which point a number of different types of sailing vessel were first built to explore the East Isles and Jump Isle, and later also other isles and lands, including Near Land and Midds Land, as well as Rain Isle and the Isle of Freedom. The existence of sailing ships led to the rise of piracy, which in turn led to the founding of the Coast Guard, and later the Navy. All ships are owned either by local or federal governments, or else by pirates or large trading firms. Ferries were first built in Jump Village around 375, as a taxi service for transporting people and their wagons and livestock short distances, such as between Tanq, Jump Village, and Shipsister (or between Ship and the East Isles). See also: Age of Sail, List of ships, and Watercraft classification Conestoga wagons Tonadian wagons served as the inspiration for other vehicles that came after them. In 360, when Ship was founded, the same material used in making canvases for covered wagons was used in making sails for the ships that were built in that village. But more direct examples of vehicles that were improvements upon the covered wagons include other land-based vehicles. The most common of these, for travel between villages, was the Conestoga wagon, which was developed in 395. The name comes from a specific type of wagon once used on Earth, the construction of which was taught to a spirit-talker from First Village by a spirit. The design of Landian Conestoga wagons is not identical to those of Earth, though they are thought to be similar enough that the name is not truly inappropriate. Aside from being larger and sturdier than Tonadian wagons, Conestogas could also be drawn by up to six striders instead of four. Also, they were designed to cross rivers if need be. But for intervillage travelers, the most important innovation was the development of iron-rimmed wheels, which not only provided enhanced durability over the older, purely wooden wheels of Tonadian wagons, but also served to somewhat alleviate the impact of rough roads, increasing comfort on long journeys. Carriages By the year 400, there was a sort of reverse-innovation, in the form of carriages. These used various enhancements developed for both Tonadian wagons and Conestogas, but scaled back the size so that they were actually somewhat smaller than the pre-Tonadian, wagons, and used only two striders. However, unlike those earliest wagons, carriages were built with a fully enclosed car (aside from windows), which was made of wood and steel (rather than the canvas covers of wagons). This type of vehicle is for use exclusively within villages. They were, at first, owned chiefly by either the relatively wealthy or by taxi services. Since the Coming of the Order, however, the cost has gone down somewhat, and they are becoming more common among the middle class. Beginning in 912, some manufactures have begun creating rubber tires to cover wheels on carriages. Caravans There are a number of different types of wagons by this name, first designed in 598 by Vardo of Tanq. The very first one was a simple cage built onto a flat-bed wagon, which was ordered by Lyta for her circus, in order to transport a manticore from northern Near Land to her home in Olek. (Subsequently, more manticores would be transported there by other means.) After the cage-wagon was built, Vardo designed other types, which had fully enclosed wooden bodies. Aside from the lack of a canvas cover, caravans have various hidden compartments and specialized windows and doors, for the display of various types of merchandise, to be used by traders, storytellers, or other types of showmen. The most dramatically different type of wagon opens on three sides to reveal a stage; this type of caravan is normally used by bands. The number of striders used to pull a caravan depends on its size, purpose, and the weight of its cargo and passengers. Cage-wagons may use one or two striders, but the largest caravans may use six or eight. Stagecoaches First developed in Monab in 625, stagecoaches were something of a cross between a carriage and a covered wagon, though they are commonly thought to have been inspired by caravans. Stagecoaches are smaller than Conestogas but larger than carriages, but they can be pulled by up to six striders. Over the years since their introduction, stagecoaches have often been used for intervillage travel for purposes of visiting or tourism, rather than for actually moving to a new village. They are mostly owned by taxi companies, like many of the carriages used within villages. However, they also largely replaced covered wagons as the preferred vehicle utilized by the postal services. Kelpie buses First developed in West Ocean in 828, when merfolk began domesticating kelpies as draft animals. Kelpies can be harnessed to aquatic buses, much as striders are used on land to draw wagons, carriages, and stagecoaches. Super Sonic Transport A type of flying vehicle secretly developed between 909 and 912, in violation of the Prohibition of Off-world Technology. All known SSTs were destroyed shortly prior to the Chaos War. Magical transportation Flying This method of translocation utilizes spell devices in various forms. Spells are cast by Sorreters upon any number of things which may then be used even by non-magic users, in order to fly rather than traveling over land. It is most common to find wagons (whether Tonadian or Conestoga) which have been thusly enchanted, and in fact it is because of this type of spell that wagons have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity since the Coming, after being largely replaced by stagecoaches in the last few centuries (except for the relatively rare occasions of new villages being founded, or of moving to villages that have already been settled). However, items not typically considered vehicles may also be enchanted to fly, including such things as carpets (owing to fantasy stories from Earth), recliners (for no readily apparent reason other than the sheer novelty of it), and perhaps other things. There has been some talk of possibly enchanting ships to fly, though this seems highly unlikely, given their size and weight. Top speed for flying vehicles is around 80 miles per hour, twice as fast as a strider running at full gallop. Internal enchantment engine A type of engine used to power wagons and carriages (thus replacing striders), introduced in 911. Translocation This is a spell first used by individual Sorreters in 790, to transport themselves (and perhaps one other person with them) instantaneously from place to place, merely by thought. It is extraordinarily rare for it to be used by non-magic users, but there are some few people, including gangsters and world leaders, who have in their employ Sorreters who can translocate them, when speed is of the essence. This, however, is almost never necessary, particularly since t-mail became commonplace among virtually all of Landian society, rich and poor alike. Wind generation This is not a method of travel in and of itself, but rather a spell device introduced in 901 to give sailors greater control of their ships, without relying exclusively on the natural wind. Category:Culture Category:Science Category:History